Next Monday will be a month since the backdoor Prime Minister announced the Movement Control Order (MCO) to help contain the spread of COVID-19. It’s been a bittersweet 23 days since we’ve been in this semi-lockdown at home. As I said before I still had to standby for work at home. Tirelessly waiting in front of my laptop from time to time for the next support ticket or email to come. It’s been non-stop standby since the school closed about a week earlier before the MCO.
My wife went to work as usual for the first two weeks or so. After that, the management finally wisened up and schedule she and her colleagues to work just once a week. Even then, they spent most of the time calling customers to renew their auto insurance. No loan disbursements this month whatsoever.
The kids has been filling their time mostly watching YouTube and playing games. Of course we had to make sure they also study for a few hours a day at least. All play and no work and such. Other times, Mia and Hana will be fighting and squabbling among themselves. That cannot be helped when you spend 24 hours, 7 days a week together. I just had to make sure they don’t kill each other or anything. We celebrated Mia’s birthday on the 25th. A cake from Secret Recipe and a little electronic keyboard as her present, nothing fancy.
Other than work, I’ve been spending my free time playing computer games and watching movies and TV series. Although I watch like 4-5 TV series a day, there’s always seems to be new ones propping up the next day. The selection are endless on Netflix, HBO Go and even Apple TV+. But there’s only so much watching and playing I could do. One thing I miss most about this lockdown is going out. I miss going to the mall to look and buy stuff but more importantly I miss working out outside - jogging, cycling and hiking. I stopped jogging and hiking altogether around the neighbourhood but from time to time I quietly sneak out and cycle up and down the road before the break of dawn. Even then I don’t feel so secure because it’s only a matter of time or luck before I stumble into a patrol car and I’ll be in big trouble. I do wish they would allow people to exercise by themselves at a distance at least once a day like they do in Britain.
Earlier this evening, the backdoor PM just announced another 2 weeks of MCO here. My bosses had been planning to go ahead with a project at work next week. I doubt my occupation fall under essential services so I don’t know whether I can get pass those numerous roadblocks on the way to office. If they go ahead with the plan, and I get turned back at the roadblock, that will be too bad. There’s been some rumours that this lockdown will extend well until the middle of May. That looks increasingly likely because we have not yet to flatten the curves so much with at least a hundred of new cases reported every day. I'm okay so far with the lockdown being extended indefinitely but I'm concerned with ordinary Malaysians who can't get to work and thus bring in any income or food on the table. My salary fortunately won't be affected with this lockdown but I can't say the same for some folks out there especially daily workers and self-employed people. And they backdoor government don't seem to be doing enough to help them except for some meagre handouts for the poor.
That is all for my lockdown report this month.
